Wishing Star
by The Storyteller of Dreams
Summary: In an alternate universe, one genius, but melancholic, Sawada Taiyohoshi 'Reborn' makes a wish on a star. The next day, a lion cub totting, fireball-throwing cursed baby hitman, Tsunayoshi, appears in his home with the incredulous claim of Reborn being next in line for the Vongola throne... An AU in which almost every characters of KHR switch places. Doesn't always follow canon.
1. Target 1: To Wish Upon a Star

Wishing Star

Summary: _Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Have this wish, I wish tonight_. In an alternate universe, one genius, but melancholic, Sawada Taiyohoshi 'Reborn' makes a wish on a star. The next day, a lion cub totting, fireball-throwing cursed baby hitman, Tsunayoshi, appears in his home with the incredulous claim of Reborn being next in line for the Vongola throne... An AU in which almost every single character of KHR switch places. Not necessarily canon compliant.

Author: The Storyteller of Dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

-(X)-

Chapter 1: To Wish Upon a Star

-(X)-

_Star light, star bright_

_First star I see tonight_

_I wish I may, I wish I might_

_Have this wish I wish tonight_

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Inside a classroom of Namimori Middle School, a teacher droned on and on to the bored and sleepy students. Equations and numbers were scribbled down on the chalkboard. The more studious students wrote the equations down on their notebooks and were busy trying to solve it, while the regular students tried but with considerably less success. However, one student was exempted from the struggles against the evil math problems. That student was glared by the teacher, but he ignored in in favor of looking outside the window.

That student has dark hair that was impossibly spiked upwards. His eyes were just as dark, glinting with intelligence and boredom. He looked outside, bored. White clouds lazily drifted by in the vast expanse we call sky. The sun shone, lighting the heavens it hung upon like the smile of his childhood friend would brighten the room (and here, the boy almost blushed. He quickly changed his train of thought). Birds flew by, heedless of gravity and chirped at the day, a song for the sky.

_How nice…_

Sawada Taiyohoshi, or most commonly known as Reborn, sighed as he watched a breeze ruffled the leaves of a tree. He was envious. Perhaps of the birds for having wings that takes them to freedom and away from boring, trivial math problems. Or perhaps he was envious of the sky, the great expanse that ties the heavens together. The sky wasn't lonely when the sun smiled, the storm protected, the cloud swirled, the rain poured, lightning flashed and mist appeared for it. However, as much as Reborn was a genius, he wasn't the sky that harmonized the weather.

_I must be __**really**__ bored to have such poetic thoughts._

"Sawada!" The teacher shouted, disrupting his reverie. "Since you were not doing anything I assume that you can do it. Do the math problems on the board!"

With a roll of his eyes, because the teacher _must _have known who he was, Reborn stood and walked to the front from his seat behind Luce. His childhood friend glanced at him worriedly as he passed. The dark blue-haired girl knew that Reborn could, and probably _would_, cause trouble for the teacher and himself. Everyone else in the classroom knew it too; in fact the whole school knew it. He was notorious for that after all, the cold, untouchable genius student that didn't deem most of the worthy of lowering himself to their level.

Very few knew that Reborn simply doesn't know how to deal with people.

Reborn didn't bother to glance at the teacher as he took up a chalk and began to write. The teacher seethed at being ignored so easily. That level of disrespect was intolerable, genius or not.

There was apprehension in the air. Everyone was anticipating one trouble of one kind or the other. The only ones who didn't seem to notice the tension was Reborn, Luce and the teacher. The teacher was too busy silently fuming while Reborn calmly wrote the solutions and Luce was too worried for her friend to notice.

Only when he finished answering the questions did Reborn looked at the teacher.

"Any idiot can do this." He said, blunt and ignorant of the emotions his words stirred. "I can't believe these are middle school questions."

"Not everyone can be a genius." The teacher said through gritted teeth, barely pleasant. "Get back to your seat, Sawada."

Luce hoped he would, for once, not get himself into trouble, but he didn't. Luce held back a groan as Reborn continued to speak.

"And _babies_ can solve these problems faster than you." He pointed to an equation. "Look, it'll take time if you do it that way. If you do it like this." He erased the equation and made another one. "You'll solve it faster and easier."

"Not to mention," Reborn continued, looking at the teacher. His next words weren't said in malice, but with a hint of curiousity. "That you answered the question wrongly anyway. Are you really a math teacher?"

Silence fell upon the classroom. Luce sighed and slapped a hand to her forehead. _Not again…_

"Sawada," the teacher's voice held fury, his face red from anger. "Get out of class. You're disrupting the class."

Reborn frowned. "But-"

"_OUT!"_

Murmurings sprang up in the wake of their teacher's exclamation. The indistinct noise grew as Reborn stayed silent and walked towards the door, head hung low. Luce looked at him with sad eyes, knuckles white from gripping the table too hard. _It's not __**fair**__..._

"Akiharu-sensei!" The girl shot up from her seat. Instantly, the class turned quiet. Reborn stopped and looked at her, eyes glinting with confusion and…Luce couldn't see more because the teacher drew her attention.

"Yes, Sasagawa?" Akiharu-sensei asked, voice a bit strained from his earlier exclamation but held none of his previous fury on Reborn. Sasagawa Luce was a kind, sweet girl who was practically the school's idol. If she had a fault it would be for being friends with that troublemaking Sawada.

"Please, Reborn was just fixing your equation." She said, voice imploring. "He didn't mean to insult you. He shouldn't have to go out because of that."

He sighed. "This is the third time he 'didn't mean to insult me', Sasagawa. Such repeated offends must be punished."

"But-"

"Luce." Reborn cut her off. "Don't."

Her mouth shut, but her blue eyes spoke all the words she would otherwise said. Reborn turned his black eyes away from her gaze. It was times like this that he couldn't bear to look at her. He walked out.

The murmurings of the other students rose up as the door gently slid shut. Luce sank back to her seat, eyes glued on the door. The lesson resumed as normal, but Akiharu-sensei didn't erased Reborn's equation. Math problems were scribbled down on the board, but Luce's mind wasn't on the lesson anymore.

She already missed the presence behind her.

-(X)-

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" Reborn asked back. It was a comfortable day, so he was laying on the rooftop, enjoying the breeze as it ruffled his curly sideburns.

He could hear an annoyed sigh from beside him, a few taps on a bento box. Reborn knew that Luce was exasperated and confused by his attitude. He closed his eyes, but he could still feel the weight of her gaze.

"You know, antagonize the teachers." Luce bit her lip and said,"….and practically everyone else."

"I don't antagonize everyone." Reborn grumbled lightly, but it was a weak protest, he knew.

"Colonello, Fon and I don't count. We're your childhood friends." She said, shooting him an amused look. That faded quickly however, replaced by a sad one. "We're worried. You've been distant lately, Reborn, and we don't know why."

"The bastard's actually worried about me? The world must be ending." Reborn joked lightly, but it sounded faint and hollow to his ears.

"You and Colonello can have your weird rivalry, but that doesn't mean he doesn't _care_." Luce admonished him, frowning slightly. "He does care, we all do. Tell us what's wrong, Reborn. We're your _friends_."

"I know." He sighed. "But you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

He rolled his head to look at her. Contemplating for a while, he finally said. "I don't know."

The look of confusion on her face couldn't be more obvious.

"I mean," he continued, head turned to face the sky now. "I don't know why I bother."

"Bother what?" Luce asked, voice soft.

He sighed. "I don't understand why I bother anymore. It's the same thing everyday. Wake up, go to school and all that. A monotone rhythm, always the same thing every time. I don't know why I _bother_. Do you understand, Luce? There's nothing for me to do."

"But what about us? What about your friends?" She said softly, her tone fragile. "Are we 'the same thing' too?"

"_No_." Reborn denied quickly, looking at her. "No. You are-you guys _aren't_. Opposite actually."

"Then why?" The girl asked again. "We're your friends. If you don't know what to do, you can come to us."

"But I rarely see you guys now." He replied quietly. "Luce, you're either busy with the Student Council, archery club or your other friends. I can only see you in class and times like today -like now- is rare. Fon's busy with the Discipline Committee and taking care of his temple. Colonello's also busy with his basketball club, working with his mother in that pizza restaurant and running away from fangirls. All of you are too busy."

"We're never too busy for a friend." Luce said, voice filled with conviction.

"Of course." He replied, not sarcastically but it was clear he didn't believe her.

They passed the rest of their lunch in silence. The girl's mind whirling in confusion and worry while the boy's was on thoughts of loneliness and emptiness.

-(X)-

School passed quickly for Reborn. Despite what Luce said, he didn't feel better because he knew –as Luce's friends dragged her away from him- that his friends _were_ too busy for him. So with a sigh, Reborn packed his bag and walked home alone.

It wasn't always like this. Back when they were children they used to play together. Him, Luce, Fon and Colonello. He became friends with Luce first, way back since they were in kindergarten, by defending her from some kids who were a couple years older than either of them. Fon came later in elementary, where they were in the same class together. Colonello came a year later, having moved from America due to his father's death. But the first time Reborn truly interacted with the blond boy was when he had to tutor him. Since then they were all friends, inseparable and always together, like a family.

_Inseparable, yeah right…_

Those were ideals for children, kids who didn't feel so _empty_ and purposeless. Ever since middle school started, Reborn had been stuck in a state of melancholy. It didn't help that all of his friends were suddenly too busy for him, either because of club activities or otherwise. Seeing them happily doing their own thing, Reborn felt lonely and unwanted.

"I'm home!" Reborn cried out as he opened the door to his home.

Silence greeted him. The boy walked into the kitchen and looked for a note. He found on stuck on the fridge's door. Apparently, his mother has some kind of charity meeting today. The cheery note also said that there was food in the fridge. He took the cold food and placed it in the microwave. Reborn leaned on the counter and waited.

He didn't know when he changed, though he guessed it must be sometime between sixth grade and the start of middle school. It just _happened_. One day the world was bright and wide and full of wonder and the next day it was dull and dreary and monotone. Thinking back, Reborn thought that was the same day he started distancing himself from his friends. At that time however, the change wasn't as obvious as now.

The microwave beeped and the young genius took the food out. He ate it alone and quietly. Before his melancholic state, he remembered that he, Luce, Fon and Colonello used to gather at his place after school and ate together. His lips twitched upwards as he remembered how he and Colonello used to fight over food while Fon and Luce were busy making pastries and dumplings. It twitched downwards however, when he noticed the silence in the air, a huge contrast to the sounds of laughter and amusement of his childhood. He quickly finished his food and washed the dishes.

Grabbing his bag, Reborn quickly climbed the stairs to his room, away from the memories of cookies and food theft.

He wouldn't admit it, but he sorely missed them.

-(X)-

There was homework to be done, but Reborn finished it quickly and easily. That was one of the perks of being a genius, trivial things like this was easy for him. Now, Reborn crossed his arms on his desk and placed his head on top of them, eyes staring at the orange sunset sky.

As the orange glow of the sun descended with the falling darkness on it, a star appeared, bright and clear. The first star on the night sky, Reborn realized. He remembered a poem that Luce loved and would recite whenever the star appeared and she had a wish. Unbidden, Reborn spoke the words.

_Star light, star bright_

_First star I see tonight_

_I wish I may, I wish I might_

_Have this wish I wish tonight_

It was a silly thing, childish. Stars didn't grant wishes, a poem wouldn't make it come true. Yet Reborn, though he would deny it later, said.

"_I wish…"_

-(X)-

And here we go! Even though this is the first chapter, it's more of a prologue, really. How was it? Good? Bad? I can guarantee you'll see Tsuna in the next chapter, but for that to happen I need at least 5 reviews. So please review! I accept any kind of review (flames, critics, short, long, etc), so don't be shy and tell me what you think!

The next chapter will be much longer than this one, I can promise you that. You'll also see Fon and Colonello. It'll also star one Reborn in his underwear running around due to the Dying Will bullet! ;) If you guys want to see that, please give me some feedbacks on this chapter!

Until next time!

The Storyteller of Dreams


	2. Target 2: Home Tutor Hitman Tsunayoshi

Summary: _Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Have this wish, I wish tonight. _In an alternate universe, one genius, but melancholic, Sawada Taiyohoshi 'Reborn' makes a wish on a star. The next day, a lion cub totting, fireball-throwing cursed baby hitman, Tsunayoshi, appears in his home with the incredulous claim of Reborn being next in line for the Vongola throne... ... An AU in which almost every single character of KHR switch places. Not necessarily canon compliant.

Author: The Storyteller of Dreams

Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR!

Review Corner:

DMCP – Yup, from now on Natsu will be the one to make those bullets. And you'll see what he's regretting soon enough.

AlIa-17 - :D Thanks for the review!

EK12 – That's partly why I want to write this fic. Reverse stories are rare, and when they do appear the characters act way to much like the other to be any different from canon. I think that in reverse stories the core of who the characters are must still be there (Reborn's a genius where Tsuna isn't), it's just the circumstances around them are different (Tsuna here grew as a hitman, Reborn grew as a normal kid). So while they are the same person at the core, since they grew up differently than canon there will also be some obvious differences to the point where they're no longer so similar to their canon counterparts.

I think that's what reverse stories should be about, putting different characters in the other's situation and see how they deal with it without changing who they are so much that they're unrecognizable, but still different enough to be a character of their own.

kelsiO-O – Thanks for the praise! :D Yup, all the Arcobaleno (including Lal) will switch with one of the Tenth Gen. You'll see all of them soon enough.

Airmd15 – Thanks Chess! I hope I can do Tsuna's appearance justice.

Mistykeiry – Thank you Misty! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

Chesshire – You know, when I saw your name I thought you were my friend. My friends and I called Airmd15, Chessire, so I thought you were her. Hahaha, what a coincidence

You guessed most of the switched roles correctly, but there's some that was wrong. I don't really think that Skull's a character that couldn't be changed; I think I can make him work for my story as who I planned him to be. He just need a few character developments. Let's hope that I could keep the pace steady, kay? Sometimes I'm not quite sure of my own work…

And Tsuna's a sweetheart? Maybe in canon, but in here… ;)

Xiang Yun – You'll see Reborn is Tsuna's situation soon enough, it's what this fic is about after all. He'll obviously handles things differently than Tsuna does in canon, but at the same time it can lead to quite hilarious results (I can't _wait_ to get him meet Haru :D). And it seems that lots of people want to see Reborn running around in his underwear, not that I can say it's wrong. It's partly the reason why I'm doing this. The mental image of Reborn getting hit by the Dying Will bullet and what ensues later is _hilarious_.

All right, I'm sure you guys are bored reading my comments. So go on now! Read! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter too! :D

-(X)-

Target 2: Home Tutor Hitman Tsunayoshi

-(X)-

_Becareful with what you wish for, it might just come true_

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One of the perks of his cursed form was that people, at least those who didn't know him, dropped their guards so easily around him and was willing to do what he said. No one would suspect that the baby on their backseat have lived longer than them and was a trained and true hitman. Sure, he may be strange –what kind of baby wears a suit and have a lion cub?- but that was all overlooked by his presumably young age. Much like the couple who let him hitch a ride to Namimori.

"Tsuna-chan, we're here!"

Normally, Tsunayoshi hated it when people would call him Tsuna. Only those who he respected or like could call him that. But he let it go for this woman. She was an innocent bystander. She didn't know who he was and for her ignorance the Sun Arcobaleno would let it slide.

"Thank you for the ride, signora."

The woman was charmed. "Anything for a cute baby like you, Tsuna-chan!" She cooed.

Tsunayoshi smirked, leaned back in his seat as Natsu purred on his lap. The hitman looked up and saw the scenery as it blurred past.

_Sawada Taiyohoshi, prepare yourself._

-(X)-

Inside the gym of Namimori Middle School. One Sawada Taiyohoshi 'Reborn' sneezed.

Luce looked at him worriedly. "Are you alright, Reborn?"

The boy waved her worries away. "I'm alright, it's just a sneeze."

His friend's worried look turned to one of faint amusement. "You know," Luce said. "If you sneeze that means someone is talking about you."

Reborn rolled his eyes. "That's just a silly supersition, Luce. Logically, how can someone senses when other talks about them? And if they do, why a sneeze?"

"I don't know." She replied, not annoyed at all when he showed some shades of his insufferable genius. The girl had grown up with him, so she was used to this. "But that doesn't mean it's not true."

"Superstitions aren't true, Luce." Reborn replied, a touch insufferable. "Neither is anything that's mythical or magical. Everything has a logic behind it and follows it."

"But sometimes there are things beyond logic." Luce said, and Reborn couldn't help but feel that they've gone off topic. "Just believe. That's enough to change the world."

"Belief can't change a coin." Reborn scoffed. "Everything and anything follows logic. Believing in things that doesn't exist and can't be possible won't help anyone."

His friend opened her mouth to disagree, but the P.E. teacher was here and told them to get into groups. Reborn tagged along with Luce and joined her group. As the coach told them that they were going to play dodgeball, Reborn's thoughts turned to their previous conversation. He wondered when the topic changed from a simple sneeze to something he didn't understand.

The boy glanced at Luce. Nowadays, he couldn't understand her much. Perhaps it _was _because he because he was distancing himself like she said, or perhaps she had changed without him knowing. Perhaps both of them had changed without either knowing. But the point was, he couldn't understand her as well as he used to. Reborn both hated and liked it. He hated it because she was his friend and he _should_ understand her. He liked it because he loved to understand new things, new challenges. Often times, Reborn was confused with these two clashing feelings.

Then the coach blew his whistle and the game started. Reborn snapped out of his thoughts and moved back. He was the least physically strong of the class, perhaps the whole school. Reborn was scrawny and short and prefer to use his brains instead of muscles. He certainly couldn't throw as well as most kids his age, but he could read their movements and the angles of where the balls were thrown, so he could dodge well. It was easy for him since he was a genius.

The dodgeball fight dragged on. Some were hit and lost, others managed to throw and dodge the onslaught of balls. Reborn managed to dodge all of the balls coming his way by reading their angles and movements. As the game wore on, Reborn wondered why he was still playing. There was no use for him to remain and it was child's play to get hit. But then Luce appeared at his side and smiled a bright, sunny smile at him.

_Wow._

Reborn blinked, then pushed everything that single word implied out of his mind. He knew that Luce was pretty, beautiful actually. The best looking girl in the entire school in his opinion (again, he pushed what that implied out of his mind. He was simply being objective). But when she smiled like that, she looked like she could compete with the top fifty most beautiful women and win (again, he was being objective). But he was her friend and he shouldn't thought of her with what that word implied.

"This is fun!" Luce said, smiling happily. "Are you going to stay until the end?"

Luce knew that he could quit anytime he liked, and Reborn didn't tell her that was what he thought about before she appeared by his side. He was tempted to do so, but looking at Luce's cheery face, all he could say was:

"Of course I will."

She smiled brightly, and that was enough to vaporize any lingering regrets on the thought of aching muscles and sweat. He found himself smiling back at her. But that moment was gone when a couple of balls sailed towards them and they have to split to dodge.

Reborn watched as his friend threw balls at their opponents. All of them hit their targets, withering the number of their opponents. Such accuracy wasn't unexpected when you take into account that she was captain of the Archery Club.

Finally, the field was clear except for Luce and him on their side and a huge student with powerful arms. Reborn remembered that when he threw, some students that got hit needed to go to the nurse's office. He was definitely one to watch out for.

The other boy threw a ball and Reborn dodged. The ball hit the floor where he had been and bounced upwards harshly. Luce caught it and threw, but at the same time, the other student also released a powerful ball.

Reborn knew physics; he was a genius after all. Physics would state that the ball the guy threw would hit Luce faster than she could dodge, and because of the power behind that throw she would be sent to the nurse's office. Physics _also_ stated that Luce would be alright after some rest and that there was no need for him to do anything stupid like throwing himself in front of her and get hit in her stead.

Which he just did.

"Reborn!"

It was her voice, and Reborn was distinctly aware that he was on the gym floor. The air was knocked out of him and he struggled a minute for breath. He was aware that it _hurts_. He wasn't the most physically strong in their class and this pain reminded him of how _weak _he was. He hated that. At least when he wasn't hurt to the point he couldn't think, he knew he had power from his knowledge. But at times like this, he was _helpless_.

"Reborn." A warm hand touched his forehead. "Reborn…"

He wanted to answer, but darkness grabbed his vision and he fainted

-(X)-

Tsunayoshi set down his binoculars, humming thoughtfully. What Taiyohoshi displayed wasn't anything he didn't expect, and yet it was. He was a genius as the file said, to be able to read where the balls would hit, but also weak and scrawny. Not to mention short, but perhaps it was because he hadn't reached his growth spurt.

No, what the hitman didn't expect was Taiyohoshi throwing himself in front of Luce. The two were close, that much was obvious. But from what he had seen and read, Reborn was a genius and should have known that Luce, while she would get hit, would be alright. Yet he intercepted the ball and got knocked out instead. That mattered little in a ball game, but such trait in the mafia would inspire loyalty, Tsunayoshi knew.

On top of his head and cushioned by his spiky brown hair, Natsu purred. The Sun Arcobaleno patted his partner's head and he was rewarded with a happy growl.

"Looks like we got another semi-competent student, Natsu." He chuckled lightly. "Lucky us, I don't know what I'll do with a no-good student. Throw fireballs at him probably."

So the boy already has the brains and some close friends who could potentially be his Family. All he needed was to be dragged in the right direction and some _good_ physical exercises. Not to mention some social skills.

Well, at least _some_ of the requirements had been met. It made Tsunayoshi's job much easier.

_Now, let's go meet Nana._

-(X)-

When Reborn was next aware, he noticed a certain blond on the bed beside him.

"What are you doing here, bastard?" Reborn sneered, but not with any trace of malice. This was how they greeted one another.

"Watching over Sleeping Beauty, kora." Colonello shot back, but like him, without any real bite. "Heard that you fainted like a girl in P.E."

"Ass. I was blocking a ball from Luce."

"I heard, real heroic." The blond said. "You do know that Luce would've handled it better than you, kora."

Reborn frowned. "No, the ball was fast and powerful. She would have been sent here too."

"I see." Colonello nodded. If Reborn said it like _that_, then it was most likely true. He was, after all, the genius in their group.

"Yeah…" He frowned then and sat himself up. He looked at his friend. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Colonello gingerly touched his left arm. "I broke it." He said, looking at his broken arm. "Got into a little fight. Now I need to wait for the nurse to finish calling Ma before I head to the hospital and get a cast, kora."

"Well…" The raven-haired boy looked at the broken arm, then at his face. "It's not the end of the world. Just go to the hospital, get your cast and rest. Soon you'll be up and back to that idiotic ball game you love so much, you kora-addled basketball jock."

Colonello rolled his eyes, his face no longer tinged with sadness. "I know that. What? You think I'm going to jump off a building, kora? Give me some more credit than that, you caffeine addicted shorty."

Reborn could feel a vein throbbing on his head. He _hated_ being called short. If anyone said that then he would have found a way to make them suffer. It was a testament to their friendship that Reborn merely glared at Colonello.

The blond merely laughed, used to his friend's glare.

Reborn huffed, then changed the subject. "Why did you get into a fight anyway? You can be like a bull seeing red sometimes, but you're not usually a hothead."

The basketball club member stopped laughing. Colonello averted his eyes from Reborn's. "Ah…well…"

"Well what?" Reborn narrowed his eyes, suspicious. Colonello looked at the floor, and Reborn's face set in grim epiphany. "Ah, it's about me again, isn't it?"

The blond snapped his eyes to his. "No! It's-yeah, kind of-but-no, no. It's not. Not about you, Reborn, kora."

"You're a terrible liar." Reborn deadpanned. "Just tell me already. It can't be any worse than usual."

"It doesn't matter." Colonello said decisively, arms crossed and eyes staring at the chart on the wall. "I beat them. That's all, kora."

The dark-haired boy looked at his friend. Colonello's posture was that of a familiar stubbornness. Reborn sighed, slumping on the bed.

"You didn't have to do that."

Colonello looked at him, serious. "Of course I have to, kora. They mocked my friend."

"Feh." Reborn looked away. "I can handle myself."

The blond smiled softly, knowing the hidden meaning behind his words and posture. "Yeah, I know you can, kora."

"Hn."

_Thank you._

Silence fell down on them, but it was a companionable one. Reborn relaxed into the bed while Colonello leaned back. Neither said a word until the nurse walked in and informed them that Colonello's mother had arrived.

"Well, I guess I'm leaving now." The blond said, standing up. He grinned at Reborn and held a fist up. "I'll see you later, Sleeping Beauty, kora."

"Bastard." Reborn grumbled lightly, bumping his fist with his friend's. "Take it easy on the arm, idiot."

Colonello laughed and waved him goodbye. "Will do, jerk, kora."

"Kora-addled idiot." Reborn huffed, returning the wave as he watched the door closed behind the blond's back.

The nurse remained, looking at him disapprovingly. She didn't understand why the cool Colonello, sweet Luce and charming Fon would _ever_ be friends with the aloof, cold-hearted Sawada. To be honest, Reborn himself didn't understand. He was just happy that they were willing to remain friends, even though he felt that he was left behind nowadays.

"You're dismissed from school, Sawada." The nurse said in clipped tones, frowning. It was as if she just wanted to get this over with quickly. Reborn guessed that it was because she wanted to bask in Colonello's presence for a bit more. She was a Colonello fangirl. "Your bag was brought by Sasagawa-chan when she brought you here. You are recommended to leave immediately."

_So basically: "Get out now" huh._

The nurse then turned and walked out, not even waiting for his reply. Reborn didn't mind this, he had a mutually low opinion of her. He thought that she was employed for her looks, not her skills. The quicker she got out, the faster he wouldn't have to deal with her stupid blathering.

Reborn stood up from the bed and winced. He wasn't fully healed, but it was expected from his weak body. He spotted his bag on the foot of the bed and grabbed it. Wincing slightly, Reborn left.

-(X)-

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Fon." Reborn said, raising an eyebrow as he saw the head of the Disciplinary Committee leaning against the gates of the school. "What are you doing here?"

"I was told that two of my friends are leaving the school grounds." The martial artist replied. "So I'm here to see the off."

"Then why are you asking me where I'm going?" The genius asked, calling back his first words. "You know where I'm going. Home."

"Let me correct myself." Fon pushed back against the gate with a grace that Reborn both admired and envied. He was the strongest in their group, and as a martial artist, the most graceful. Reborn, with his weak body and lack of physical training, wasn't and for that he both looked up and envied Fon. "Where do you think you're going _alone_?"

"You're coming with me?" Reborn blinked, looking back at the other dark-haired boy. Fon nodded as he walked next to him, his jacket waving slightly in the movement. "Why?"

Fon gave him an amused smile, as if he had just asked something silly. "Why do I need a reason to walk with my friend?" He said, still smiling. "Besides, it has been a while since I last saw you."

"But, what about school?" It was a lame protest, Reborn knew, but he felt that he needed to say it. Sure he was his friend, but wasn't there something more important for the prefect to do than walk a weak smartass home?

Fon raised an eyebrow. He, too, knew what a lame protest that was. "Tetsukabe will cover for me. And it's not like the school will ask where I went."

They both chuckled at that. Fon was easily the strongest person in Namimori, but he was kind and gentle, which utterly charmed almost everyone he met. His fanbase was as big as Colonello's because of it. However, if he couldn't charm his way, then he would _nicely_ asked them to eat his dumplings. Fon, besides for his charming countenance, was also renowned all over the city for making _extremely_ spicy food. His dumplings, which a part of his martial arts style revolved around, was filled with enough concentration to kill or poison a grown man. Luckily, the times he needed to threaten (not _threaten, _Fon would defend himself, _strongly persuade_) were rare and few. Most of the time, people were too charmed by him to say no.

They walked away from the school, the silence between them peaceful and amiable. It was familiar, this kind of walk. Reborn remembered how, in the past, the four of them would walk home together. It was nowhere near as peaceful as this though, with him and Colonello arguing while Fon and Luce would talk about cooking. Or with Luce talking to Colonello about their respective sports and him asking Fon about his martial arts training. Or with Fon telling Colonello to calm down and meditation _is _important while he and Luce would talk about class and people. Or with them planning an adventure together, joking, arguing…

Or simply walking together, talking about everything and nothing.

Reborn missed those days.

"Why…?" Fon broke the silence; Reborn turned his head to look at him. "Why are you so distant nowadays, Reborn? You used to call me Fon-nii, not simply Fon. We used to walk together, all four of us. Now I barely see you and hear that you keep making trouble with nearly everyone in school."

Reborn looked away, a pang in his heart. What Fon said was true. He used to call Fon 'older brother'. The other boy was the eldest in their group and Reborn always admired him for his strength and calmness in adversities. He still considered him as his older brother, but still…Reborn had no idea what changed. Now they were all so busy with their own clubs and friends, Reborn had to walk home alone.

"I don't know." Reborn whispered and was thankful that Fon didn't ask more.

-(X)-

"I'm home!" Reborn shouted as he and Fon reached his home.

"Oh, Re-kun, you're home!" His mother, Sawada Nana, said as she opened the door. Her smile widened as she saw Fon beside him. "Oh, Fon-kun, you're here too! It's been awhile!"

"Hello, Nana-san." The prefect bowed politely to her, smiling. "It has been awhile indeed."

Sawada Nana was a regular middle-aged housewife who was the _best _cook in all of Namimori (according to Reborn and his friends). She has black hair and eyes, just like her son, and regularly smiled at people. She was a kind, motherly soul who loved to take care of people. However, she could also be a bit of a ditz and displayed an amazing amount of tolerance and ignorance at her beloved husband's work and long periods of absence.

"Re-kun, Fon-kun, why are you home early?" She asked as she let them in and closed the door behind her.

"I got knocked out in P.E. kaa-san," Reborn replied, taking off his shoes. "And Fon walked me home."

"Are you alright?" She looked at him worriedly. Reborn waved her concern off.

"I'm fine."

"Alright…"His mother relented, then turned to smile at Fon. "Thank you for walking him home, Fon-kun."

"It's the least I can do, Nana-san." Fon replied, his serene smile in place.

Reborn noticed the extra pair of shoes on the porch. "Is there anyone else home, kaa-san?"

"Oh!" His mother exclaimed, looking as if she just remembered something. "Your home tutor had just arrived, Re-kun!"

"Home tutor?" Reborn repeated, confused. "I don't need a home tutor, kaa-san. I'm an A+ student."

"I know, Re-kun." She replied. "But this one came from abroad, Italy, he said. Your father sent him here."

Reborn stiffened at that. Fon looked at him worriedly. He knew how strained the relationship between Reborn and his father was. The dark-haired boy hated that lazy, no-good father of his.

"I see." Reborn said stiffly. "Where is he?"

"Oh, Tsuna-chan is in your room." His mother replied, unaware of the tenseness in Reborn's form. "He's going to be sleeping there since he's staying with us."

"I see." The boy said, scowling. It was clear to everyone, except perhaps Nana, that Reborn didn't like the thought of someone staying in his room. Especially someone who was sent from his father. "I'm going to my room then, kaa-san."

"I'll follow him then." Fon said, a hint of worry on his smile as he watched his friend climbed the stairs.

"Ok." Nana replied with a smile as she saw both boys climbed up. "Tell Tsuna-chan that lunch will be ready soon!"

-(X)-

When Reborn opened the door to his room, the home tutor he expected was anything _but_ what he actually expected.

It was a baby in a suit and a lion cub on his head.

_Is this some kind of a sick joke!?_

Oh, he hated his father more now.

"Calm down, Reborn." Fon said from beside him, a firm hand on his shoulder.

Calm down!? His no good, lazy father had just sent a _baby_ to be his home tutor! That man goes to no end to humiliate him! Reborn glared at the baby, but Fon gripped his shoulder harder. He broke his glare and turned to look at the elder boy questioningly.

"That's not an ordinary baby." The prefect said, eyes still on said infant who looked at them with a smug smirk. Fon's usual smile was strained, Reborn noticed with worry. "He's powerful. I can sense that. More so than me, I think."

"That's right." The baby spoke up, smirking at them. The diminutive brunet gave an approving nod to the prefect. "Good job in noticing that, not like I was actually hiding it, but still. I am Tsunayoshi, the Sun Arcobaleno and the world's greatest hitman. Only people I respect, like or ignorant of who I am can call me Tsuna, and I only call people by their nicknames on the same terms. I've come from Italy to train you, Sawada Taiyohoshi, to become the heir of the greatest mafia Family, the Vongola."

Reborn merely stared at him blankly, mind trying to process the impossibility of what the baby had said.

_Now I __**know**__it's a joke._

But Fon gripped him harder, to the point that it almost hurt. Reborn looked at him, thinking. _He's joking, right?_

Apparently, he said it outloud, because Tsunayoshi said. "I wasn't joking, Taiyohoshi. I'm here to turn you into the Vongola Decimo."

"But-" Reborn blinked, closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm down –panic wouldn't help anyone- then opened his eyes and said. "No. Way. Alright, if –for some reason- I _did_ believe in your story –which I didn't, by the way- why _me?_"

His efforts to calm down wasn't perfect –as noted by the note of shock and disbelief on the last word- but Reborn felt a bit proud that he could hold it in for awhile. After all, he had just been told that _he_ was going to be the heir of some _mafia throne_ by a _baby_. It was a ridiculous situation by any standards.

The self-proclaimed hitman produced three photos from his suit, each showing either a gruesome death or remains. Reborn felt sick looking at them.

"The eldest and favourite, Enrico, was shot in a feud. The second was found dead via drowning and we only found the remains of the third." Tsunayoshi said easily, not disturbed at all by the deaths he described. He put those pictures away and took out what looks like Reborn's family tree. "As you can see, Vongola Primo, the first Don of the Family, retired and lived in Japan as Sawada Ieyasu, your ancestor. Because of that, you carry his bloodline and is therefore eligible to be the next Vongola Don. In fact, you are now the only one left to succeed Nono."

The dark-haired boy looked blankly at him, then slowly shook his head, though that act was rapidly growing in speed, and spluttered out denials. "No, no, _no_! I _don't want_ to become a _mafia boss_! I won't become this _Vongola Decimo!_"

"Then die." The infant said blandly, suddenly pointing an orange gun at him. A part of Reborn that wasn't frightened at being held at gunpoint noted that the lion cub was gone.

Fon stiffened beside him, his hand on his shoulder ready to jerk Reborn away and defend him. The younger dark-haired boy's eyes widened at the threat before him and took an instinctive step backwards. The orange gun was still leveled at him, glinting in the light.

Suddenly, a loud grumbling sound was heard. It seemed to have come from…_the hitman?_

_What?_

The orange gun suddenly transformed into the lion cub he saw before. Reborn felt his jaw dropping slightly. _A __**shapeshifting**__lion cub!?_

_That…was sorta cool, _a part of him dimly thought, _if he wasn't, you know, using it to __**shoot**__ me._

"I'll kill you after I ate." The small brunet said simply, walking past them without a glance back. The lion cub was curled around his shoulders now.

Fon and Reborn looked at each other, then at the retreating hitman's back, then back at each other. One thought crossed their minds.

_What. The. Hell!?_

-(X)-

"This has _got_ to be some kind of sick joke!"

"I'm afraid it's not, Reborn." Fon said, looking worried. "I've heard of Tsunayoshi-san and the Vongola from the yakuza. He was telling the truth. The Vongola Family is the most powerful mafia organization in the world, however from what I heard all of the Ninth's sons had died."

"So _I'm _the only heir left? Just great." Reborn said sarcastically as they walked aimlessly through the streets of Namimori. Reborn had wanted to get away from his home and the new home tutor and the older boy decided to follow him out of concern. Fon knew that someone like Tsunayoshi wouldn't let go of his target so easily.

"Wait." Reborn suddenly stopped and turner to look at Fon, looking as if he had just realized something. "You deal with _yakuzas?_"

Ah right, Fon forgot that Reborn didn't know the full scope of activities the Disciplinary Committee does. He supposed the surprise of hearing that his friend was the next Vongola boss was to blame for his oversight. Still, if the mafia was adamant on dragging his friend with them, then he had to help Reborn as best as he could.

"Of course I deal with yakuzas, Reborn." The prefect smiled, as if the idea of teenagers dealing with adults who thrived in the underworld wasn't ridiculous. "They have to pay the protection fees after all. And the yakuzas who tries to claim Namimori as their territory without consulting me needs to be dealt with." Reborn couldn't help but noticed that Fon's smile somehow turned scary here. "And if any of them disturb the peace of Namimori, they will have to deal with _me_."

A shiver went down Reborn's spine. He was so glad that Fon was his friend.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder. "Just how powerful is the Disciplinary Committee?"

Fon merely smiled, letting silence be his answer.

They walked a bit more, the air around them amiable. Despite his questions, Fon remained adamantly silent as he smiled at Reborn's questionings. Reborn was seriously starting to consider the rumour that the DC really was running the whole town as true. Eventually, his questions decreased and turned into a reluctant, but companionable silence.

With this simple, amiable company, Reborn's mood slowly lifted. It was almost as if the hitman hadn't come to his home and everything was normal again. However, all good things must end.

Fon was the first to notice. "Why are you following us, Tsunayoshi-san?"

Said hitman jumped out from his hiding spot, smirking. "Good job noticing me, Fon."

Reborn jumped, startled. He didn't sense the baby before and glared at him. "What are you doing following us around!?"

"A hitman never loses his prey, Taiyohoshi." Tsunayoshi said, an ominous glint in his brown eyes. "And that is our current relationship, of a hitman and his target."

-(X)-

_That doesn't sound good._

The prefect knew that Tsunayoshi-san wouldn't kill the last heir to the Vongola…_permanently_ that is. He'd heard about their Dying Will bullets, and though it would be amusing to see Reborn running around in boxers (the mental image caused him to laugh inwardly), it wouldn't be worth the incurable sickness that would later come after too much use.

Luckily, Fon knew Reborn. The other boy was incredibly stubborn, and once he set his mind on something nothing would stop him. He didn't need a Dying Will to do any tasks he set his mind to. However, it was the matter of finding something the genius thought he should do that was the problem. Aside from reading huge, thick books, the Pokemon Online MMORPG that he loved and the various anime, hacking and computer conventions he liked to go to and cosplaying, there weren't many activities that interested him.

Well, they'll cross that bridge when it comes. For now, it was best to enjoy the calm before the inevitable storm that Tsunayoshi-san would bring. It would be the last taste of normalcy they would get.

Fon eyed the infant sitting on his friend's shoulder on his friend's shoulder warily. A serene smile was on his face, no need to panic his younger, unaware friend of all sorts of problems that could arise from having a killer sitting on your shoulder after all. The prefect looked relaxed, but he was ready to jump and defend his friend from the Arcobaleno's attack.

_Which is problem considering he's sitting on Reborn's shoulder._

The baby must have known too. For Tsunayoshi-san smirked challengingly at him. _You can't stop me, you know._

It was rather frustrating to see that the one he's trying to protect was so close to the threat.

Reborn was still arguing with the hitman. It was rather amazing that the genius didn't see any problems the trained killer could bring besides the fact that he was going to train him to become a mafia boss. And from the way the younger boy argued it didn't seem that Reborn had realized all the potential threats to his life being an heir or a Don meant. No, to Fon's bemusement, it seemed that Reborn was simply arguing because he didn't want his regular life to change or enjoyed the idea of being a leader.

For someone so smart, he's completely missing the implications of being dragged to the underworld.

Suddenly, Reborn stopped as they turned a corner and saw Luce with the captain of the kendo club, Mochida.

Fon looked at Reborn, curious as to why they suddenly stopped. He noted the other boy's sudden tenseness, his glare at Mochida and the small angry aura around him. The prefect smiled, amused.

_Ah, jealousy._

The baby hitman also caught on. The brunet smirked, drawing Reborn's attention. "You like her?"

Reborn blinked at the sudden question, the angry aura quickly dissipating. The younger black-haired boy turned his head to look at the baby's questioningly. "What? Of course, she's my friend."

The hitman gave a 'tsk' sound. "_More_ than a friend?"

The head of the Disciplinary Committee was amused by his friend's sudden blush. Reborn's face was almost as red as a strawberry.

"N-no!" Reborn denied quickly.

Fon knew that the other younger boy did, in fact, _liked_ Luce and she held the same feeling for him. He couldn't be their childhood friend without knowing such basic thing. However, when confronted with it, both denials would dry up the Nile River. There was a secret bet between Fon and Colonello on when they would confess to each other.

"Such a bad liar." Tsunayoshi-san commented, deadpan. "Are you afraid of rejection?"

"No!" Reborn denied, face gone redder. "And I don't like Luce that way!"

The hitman merely hummed, acting nonchalant. Fon frowned slightly; something seemed to be up…

"Then die."

_BANG!_

Fon, while capable of catching bullets midair, wasn't able to stop the hitman from shooting Reborn at pointblank range. He watched in faint horror as his friend fell down on the street, appearing lifeless. He looked like he was dead.

Tsunayoshi-san jumped away when his new student fell and landed next to him. Fon looked down at the infant.

"That _was_ the Dying Will bullet, right?" he knew that the brunet wouldn't kill Reborn permanently since he's the heir, but it was still unconfirmed. If it wasn't the Dying Will bullet then greatest hitman in the world or not be damned. If his friend died, Fon was going to kill him.

Tsunayoshi-san merely smirked at him, which didn't assured Fon at all.

Suddenly, he felt a slight change in the air. There was a slight spike in temperature and a strong invisible pressure in the air. Fon quickly turned to looked at where Reborn fell and saw a lump appear on his friend. Suddenly, that pressure and heat exploded outwards…and so did Reborn's clothes.

"CONFESS TO LUCE WITH MY DYING WILL!"

Fon blinked at the sight, stunned at the sight of his normally calm and composed friend in his boxers. Reborn's clothes were burned away due to the intensity of his flames, leaving him only in his boxers. A visible orange flame was lit on his forehead and his usually coal-black eyes burned molten amber.

He may have laughed then, seeing his friend like that, but it was a laughter of_ relief _that he was still alive, not because Reborn was embarrassing himself in such an out of character moment and was about to win him a bet against Colonello.

He may have snapped a picture then too (for future blackmail, not that he's going to say) as he laughed, because, well…

_I can't believe Reborn wears a pair of black, green chameleon printed boxers!_

-(X)-

Mochida-senpai was a nice guy, Luce admitted, but he wasn't her type. She knew he liked her, wanted her to be his girlfriend, but that's the problem. He _wanted_ her, in a possessive sort of way like one would want a precious gem. There were issues that kind of thinking raised that caused her to keep her distance from him. For one thing, she wanted to be treated as a person, not a thing. Besides, he wasn't the guy that she liked.

If she ever dared to let her think who she _did_ like, she would think of dark hair and equally black eyes. An insufferable genius attitude, but with a warm smile that had sadly became rare these days. A geeky otaku side with a love for cosplaying. Curious eyes roaming over thick books way advanced for their age and a slight interest in guns. The scent of coffee and dark chocolate…

Thinking about it made her cheeks heat up, so she tried not to think about it.

After all, she was his _friend_. There's no need to ruin that with this sort of feeling.

She was his friend, and because of that she has the right to be worried for his sake. Before, she had wanted to visit him in the nurse's office after school, hoping to go home together like they used to do. However, when she arrived he had already left for home alone. In no way did this lessen her worry. In fact, this only increased it. He didn't even wait for her to leave. She was worried that maybe this was the start of the end for their friendship.

She pushed that thought back. No, their friendship _wasn't _ruined and if it did then she would fix it somehow. It's too important not to. She believed in them, and no matter what Reborn said, she knew that beliefs _can_ change the world.

"Luce-chan? Are you alright?" Her upperclassman asked, noticing that she was no longer paying attention to him.

"I'm fine." She replied, giving a smile. "It's just that I need to be somewhere right now. So…"

"Ah right." Mochida-senpai chuckled. "Sorry I held you up then. I'll see you at the next meeting then?"

Luce was the captain of the archery club, along with being a member of the Student Council, which Mochida-senpai was also part of. The dark blue-haired girl smiled and nodded. "Of course."

_Finally! Now I can go and see Reborn._

And like the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Luce's eyes widened in shock and surprise as, somehow, Reborn _landed ontop_ of Mochida-senpai. For a moment she thought she was in some kind of alternate universe when she saw that the dark-haired boy was in his _boxers_ and nothing else. She was sure her jaw just dropped as she saw her friend behaving so out of character for him.

Reborn turned to face her, and Luce tried to comfort herself that this _couldn't _be Reborn and this was probably some strange dream. After all, Reborn has black eyes, not burning amber ones, and he couldn't possibly have an orange flame on his forehead.

_And Reborn wouldn't wear a black, green chameleon printed boxers, would he!?_

_Yes, this is just a dream. A strange, bizarre, life-like dream, but it's still a dream. I'm going to wake up any second now and…_

"I REALLY LIKE YOU LUCE!"

Luce was sure she almost fainted.

-(X)-

Reborn's cheeks burned as he sat far away from Luce, not looking at her. Luce almost fainted when he finally gained control of himself again, her face as red as a tomato. After that _humiliating_ Dying Will moment, everyone had returned to his home, with Luce blushing madly and constantly pinching herself and Fon chuckling every now and again. Luckily for Reborn, the prefect lent his jacket to him, so he wore something else besides his boxers on his way home. That didn't, however, stopped his cheeks from going red in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, the hitman that started all of this sat on his shoulder, that maddening smirk on his lips.

They were in his room. Reborn had quickly put some clothes on and gave Fon his jacket back when they arrived. Now, Luce sat on the floor, looking down with a pretty blush on her cheeks while Fon leaned against the closed door, an amused grin on his face that he was not afraind to show on his face. Reborn glared at him, but after a few minutes and Fon was _still_ grinning, he gave up. Meanwhile, the baby hitman that Reborn now hated sat on his desk, a smug smirk on his lips while his animal partner rest beside him.

After he had put some clothes on and was decent again, Fon and he filled Luce in on what had happened. The girl was obviously surprised at their story, her blue eyes gone wide in the retelling. Occasionally, Tsunayoshi interjected with some of his own comments, but was otherwise silent for the most part. He did, however, said that Luce and Fon could call him Tsuna. Reborn easily noticed that he wasn't mentioned in that.

_That's alright. I don't like him anyway._

Then Luce brought that question up.

"So, what you said back then. It was a joke, right?"

Reborn really wished he could say that it was, but he couldn't. Instead, he looked away, redness tingeing his cheeks. Fon chuckled quietly and that damned baby smirked. Luce quickly got the hint and blushed, looking away.

And that was how they got here, with Reborn cursing Tsunayoshi in every language he knew (he was a genius, he knew a lot).

_I'm going to die from this awkwardness._

"So…" Luce said, breaking the awkward silence. As she spoke however, her eyes remained on the floor. "…You really meant it."

"…Yes." There was nothing left to do but admit it, since it was already out in the open anyway.

"You really like me? In a-a more t-than friends way?"

Reborn noticed that her cheeks had gone redder, much like his own. "…Yes."

"Oh."

That was the only thing she could say, not that Reborn was surprised by this. With such a confession, this was bound to be awkward. Silence fell again, and Reborn thought that it was better to kill himself than to suffer through this, when Luce spoke again.

"Then…um…" She said shyly, hesitatingly raising her eyes from the floor. Her fingers played with the hems of her shirt. "Um…wh-what are we supposed to do now?"

_Yes, what __**are**__ we supposed to do now?_

They couldn't go back to being friends, not when Reborn had confessed that he felt more for her. And the dark-haired boy noticed that Luce didn't reject his feelings, which brought unwanted hope in him. It could be that she didn't know how to say that she didn't feel the same way in a way that wouldn't be awkward for them. However, even if, by some chance, she did like him back, they couldn't exactly move forward, too afraid of the unknown and the sudden change in their relationship.

In the end, Fon decided for them. "Well, obviously you guys are a couple now. That's if Luce doesn't mind, of course."

She shook her head, not saying a word. Her cheeks burned brighter.

_She likes me back!?_

Sure, there was a possibility that she might like him back since she didn't reject him outright. But Reborn didn't think it was possible. Sure they were childhood friends, but why would someone like Luce liked someone like him?

Apparently, he said outloud, because Luce suddenly giggled lightly, breaking the awkward air once more. "Of course I like you!"

His cheeks burned brighter, and he looked at Luce who stared back at him with the same blush and shy gaze. A smile unintentionally pulled his lips and he scratched the back of his head in apparent nervousness. "Oh…um…"

Her smile widened further, a bit bolder as she saw his smile. "It's been awhile since I last seen you smile like that." She said, sounding happy and slightly wistful. Her blue eyes stared at him with a hint of wonder. "You look nice like that, you know."

He blushed further. "T-that's my line!"

Both of his friends laughed. Despite them laughing at him, a warm feeling spread through his heart and he couldn't help but smile wider. This…felt nice, warm. Too bad Colonello wasn't around to share the moment. Then again, perhaps it was for the best since Reborn knew that the blond would tease him mercilessly.

Eventually, they stopped laughing and started talking about other things. It felt incredibly like what they used to do before they went to middle school, before clubs and duties got in the way of them hanging with each other. But eventually Fon got a call from Tetsukabe and had to leave. He left muttering about a bet and dialed Colonello's number as he went, no doubt to inform him of what happened today. Reborn wished he didn't because he knew the blond would tease him about this later, but their friend need to know that Reborn now have a baby hitman home tutor teaching him on how to become a mafia Don…

…_That made much more sense in my own head, though not by much._

Luce followed soon after Fon left. "I need to go back now." She said. "Aria will be wondering where I am."

Reborn nodded. Aria was Luce's younger sister who was in elementary. The two Sasagawa sisters cared deeply about each other since usually they're the only family they have. Their mother had left them for another man and their father, while he loved them, had to leave for long periods of time due to his work. Reborn knew that Aria would worry if Luce hadn't returned home without telling her why. It was already sundown now.

"Ok. Tell her that I said 'hi'." He said, walking her to the front door.

"Sure, and um…about today…" She trailed off awkwardly, cheeks red as her fingers played with the hems of her shirt. "D-do you want to do what Fon said? You know…be a c-couple and all…"

He blushed too, but he nodded shyly. "Y-yeah…sure, i-if you want to…"

"Ok…" She replied, smiling shyly. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow, Reborn."

Then she leaned over, lips ghosting across the skin of his cheek, before she abruptly jerked back, blushing.

"Bye! I'll see you at school!" Luce quickly ran away before he got a chance to snap out of his daze, her heart beating as if she was running a marathon.

Reborn merely stood, stunned, as she ran. When her figure was gone from his sight, the dark-haired boy moved as if in a daze. He closed the door blankly, then touched the cheek where she almost kissed him. His face turned red at the memory.

He pinched himself. It stung a bit. This wasn't a dream.

-(X)-

_I can't believe today happened._

Reborn stared up at his dark ceiling. It was nighttime, but the future mafia boss didn't feel like sleeping yet. Thoughts ran rampant in his head, stumbling over one another in his mind. Today was _so_ different than his usual days. He tried to recap everything that happened since he returned home from school with Fon.

First, a baby hitman home tutor with a shapeshifting lion cub appeared in his home with the incredulous claim that he was the next boss of the most powerful mafia Family in the world.

Second, he experienced the Dying Will bullet, embarrassed himself and confessed to Luce.

Third, somehow, he and Luce became a couple. The thought that Luce didn't reject him and felt the same way still sent him smiling.

And as much as he loathed to admit it, this all happened because of Tsunayoshi.

_Guess that baby can't be that bad._

Well, only time would tell about that. With a sigh, Reborn turned over to sleep, but not before he said.

"…Thanks…Tsunayoshi-san."

In the dark, Tsunayoshi smiled.

-(X)-

Finally done! Well here's the second chapter! I had a lot of fun writing Colonello's and Reborn's banter. They're such vitriolic best friends .

Some things you guys might note:

- I'm writing Tsuna as Tsunayoshi, because he's now a respected and the greatest hitman in the world and also the most powerful Arcobaleno, like Canon!Reborn.

- "_For someone so smart, he's completely missing the implications of being dragged to the underworld."_ – Seriously, even Canon!Tsuna does this. He acts more like he doesn't want his normal life to be changed rather than being afraid that he could have assassins by the dozens after him and his friends. He doesn't really seem to realize that, if you join the mafia, you can't live freely anymore and once you're sucked into it, you remain there until you die. You can _not_ get out unscarred. Even your future kids and grandkids have a chance to be forced to join the mafia because of you. The prime example of that is Canon!Tsuna himself, who was forced to join the mafia because of his _already dead ancestor_.

- Pokémon Online – I got an idea for a Pokémon story as I was typing this. I blame Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 for this. It's gonna be an AU story, think of Sword Art Online (I blame you, AlIa-17, for bringing the idea into my head), .hack meets Pokémon. By using a Nerve Gear (from SAO) you can access the virtual world and play there. In Pokémon Online, you get to interact with your pokémons directly and fight alongside them as a Knight, Martial Artist, Mage, Healer or Bard. _Yes_, you can attack other pokémon with a sword or a spear and fight with other players. I already got the basic idea for the world and setting, so you guys can expect PO to make an appearance later on.

I hope none of you guys are turned off by the romance. I tried to make it seem as realistic as I can even though I've never been in a relationship before (and I'm in _highschool!)_. This is partly because I want to show you guys how different Wishing Star is from canon. Reborn got the girl much quicker than Canon!Tsuna did because he knew her since they were little kids. Similar pasts, but they reacted differently to similar situations, see? So the present is also different from canon.

However, whether they can maintain this sort of relationship is another matter altogether. I'm no psychologist, but I'm pretty sure that going from friends to being a couple is hard, and that's _normally_. I can say that their relationship won't be easy going. There will be trials, teenage dramas, mafia plots and a hell lot of insane crap they have to go through. Whether this will last or not will be decided in the next arc (Kokuyo arc for canon, but I'm doing an original one since adapting it to fit Wishing Star won't do what I have in plan).

Well, that's it for now. The next chapter will most likely take awhile to update since it's a bit longer than this one, so please be patient until then! Next time, you guys will see who has replaced Dino!

See you guys later!

The Storyteller of Dreams


	3. Target 3:(Awkward) Girlfriend Luce

Summary: _Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Have this wish, I wish tonight. _In an alternate universe, one genius, but melancholic, Sawada Taiyohoshi 'Reborn' makes a wish on a star. The next day, a lion cub totting, fireball-throwing cursed baby hitman, Tsunayoshi, appears in his home with the incredulous claim of Reborn being next in line for the Vongola throne... ... An AU in which almost every single character of KHR switch places. Not necessarily canon compliant.

Warning: AU

Author: The Storyteller of Dreams

Disclaimer: I own the _idea_ for this story but not the characters!

Review Corner:

AlIa-17 – Thanks for the compliment! ^ _ ^

CiaociaoFollower – Hehehe, yup, they are kinda cute. Yes, the Sky Arcobaleno have short life spans, however _**Tsuna**_ is the _**Sun Arcobaleno**_. So Tsuna is, like Canon!Reborn, a baby hitman with a long life span.

hitomi65 – Thank you!

fuyuki aiko – Yup, this Reborn is funny and OOC compared to Canon!Reborn and Tsuna here is much cooler and deadlier than his canon counterpart. Expect more of them soon!

Autore Raita – Thanks, I consider is a great praise to make someone who doesn't like a character like them. Luce is a bit hard to write because she doesn't show up in the manga much. All I get is that she's supposed to sweet and all. However, she's also easier to write because I can make my own interpretation of her without canon say so. Don't worry; she won't be as weak as Kyoko. In fact, I made her captain of the archery club, like in canon a certain someone is captain of another club ; )

EK12 – Yay, it's not rushed! : D Thanks for the praise, I hope I can maintain the pace for the entire story.

Sylvia-san – You'll see Haru soon enough and I can't wait for Reborn to meet her! Kyoko, well, I don't know whether I can make her appear in the story, but she will at least be mentioned at. Hint: Luce took her place as Love Interest, then whose place do you think Kyoko took?

E – Thank you, I try hard to make them still the same at the roots, but also different enough to be unique too. Too many reverse stories either make them completely like the other character or too much like themselves in canon. There should be a mix of it.

I had written an AU of the end of the Curse of the Rainbow Arc called **Flowers of Forgetfulness, **it's not what you suggested though.

The summary is: _It had been a year since the Representative War ended, since Reborn and the Arcobalenos died. Now Tsuna, in the third year of middle school, had accepted his role fully as Decimo. But what are seven supposedly dead people doing in Namimori? Are they truly the Arcobaleno? Or are they simply familiar strangers? Fate's kindness depends on your perspective. An AU of the end of the Curse of the Rainbow Arc._

So, what do you think? Expect the first chapter of this to be up after this. Perhaps you should also prepare some tissues.

Airmd15 – Yes, I'm really sneaky ; ) I haven't played Nobunaga's Ambition, but I read about it. Unlike Nobunaga Ambition, Pokémon Online is a story about Mei Kuro, otherwise known as Rosa in the virtual world (the female protagonist in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2). In that story, technology has advanced so far that people can use a device called Nerve Gear (taken from Sword Art Online) and enter the virtual world. However, an incident called Lock Down occurred and trapped all the players inside the virtual world. But the thing is, is Pokémon Online truly a virtual world?

There's going to be monsters from Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor and others (can anyone give me a link to more monsters? I don't care if it's from other MMORP, myths or games, but the more the better, no?) that players can fight against along with their pokémon. The players themselves also won't be standing around and give orders; they can fight and help too as a Knight, Priest, Mage, Bard, Martial Artist or Archer.

The main world is taken from all the games, with the exception of Orre and another one (because I haven't played them) with dungeons where monsters gather (though they would occasionally spawn on Routes and such as long as it's outside of towns.

The formal (or sanctioned) fighting format is taken from the games too (that's Single, Double, Triple and Rotation), but I added some of my own (Human, Tag –that's two humans fighting together-, Hybrid and Tag Hybrid). You can have up to 6 pokémons in your main team, however you can carry more than 6 with you, but the other pokémons aren't allowed to battle in sanctioned fights.

….Well, what do you think?

Immortalis Cruor Elf – Your wish is my command! ^ _ ^

HeartXCrossbones – Thank you! I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

Sorry if the poem at the beginning was bad, I had to made it because I couldn't find any good ones (or too lazy to).

Well, I'm sure you have enough reading about my replies to your reviews, so go ahead! Read! ^ _ ^

-(X)-

Target 3: Friend and (Awkward) Girlfriend Sasagawa Luce

-(X)-

_Shooting star, falling star_

_Come down to my waiting hand_

_Oh shooting star, falling star_

_Let me catch you tonight_

.

.

.

In the fine morning of Namimori, Reborn wondered why he didn't thought about it before.

Was he slipping up? No, he didn't think so. It was just his new home tutor sudden appearance, experiencing the Dying Will bullet, confessing to Luce and subsequently learning that she felt the same way threw his off. And then there's the _other _mafia stuff that Reborn didn't want to think about. At least not until he got some answers from Tsunayoshi-san.

It was still early in the morning, as Reborn was something of an early riser, so the dark-haired boy felt it was alright to stay at his home for a bit more. It wasn't like the baby (though Reborn doubted he was a baby, but _how_ he got that way was something he didn't try to think about. It was too impossible to begin with...just like everything else surrounding the brunet. So one thing at a time…) was complaining. His mother had cooked breakfast, but the damned hitman stole his food, smirking as he claimed it was training. Reborn didn't believe him. What kind of _training_ involved _stealing breakfasts_?

So instead, Reborn nursed a hot cup of coffee. He eyed the smirking Arcobaleno (Reborn wondered what's that supposed to be. Another thing to ask.) warily. He wasn't letting him get his precious drink.

When his mother left the kitchen to prepare herself for the day, Reborn decided it was time to speak. Almost casually, he said. "I doubt that you're a real baby."

Tsunayoshi-san's face was blank, innocent save for that ever-present smirk. Seeing as the hitman didn't reply, Reborn continued.

"You claimed to be the world's greatest hitman, I don't know whether that's true or not, but if you can scare Fon that means you're much stronger than you look." The dark-haired boy said, almost conversationally. His eyes however, were keen, eyeing the small hitman for any signs that he could give away. "But to get that kind of power you'll need training and that takes _time_. More time than someone could conceivably remain a baby–never mind the fact that babies don't have even half of the motor control you have."

The other was quiet, most likely waiting for his conclusion. Reborn sipped his drink, relishing its warm, bitter taste, before saying. "You're not a baby, or at least you're not _just_ a baby."

"So what are you?" He asked, sounding as if he was musing on a new, complex problem. Perhaps he was.

_Wait…isn't asking __**what**__ instead of __**who **__are you impolite?_

Just because he acted rude to his teachers doesn't mean he doesn't know tact. He only acted that way because the teachers didn't gain his respect, nor anyone else in school with the exception of his friends and the Disciplinary Committee. This led to his infamous reputation as a cold-hearted genius that nearly everyone despised. One time, during English class, Reborn, who got fed up with the teacher's constant and _obvious_ mistake, bluntly told him how wrong he was about the lesson. Somehow, he made the teacher cry, resulting in a few days of suspension and a disappointed look from Luce, which was the worse in his opinion. The teacher later retired and never went back to teaching, as far as Reborn knew.

After yesterday, Reborn grudgingly respected Tsunayoshi-san, partly for being so strong as to scare Fon, partly because he hooked him up with the girl he liked (even though it was _embarrassing_) and partly because, whether he liked it or not, Reborn fear him. It was a healthy fear, he reasoned, seeing as the baby–that's-not-a-baby was a hitman that had killed him (and Reborn doesn't want to think too much on that subject. It defied logic and so he would proceed to ignore it for now).

_Shit, I don't want to die! Or be forced to run around in my boxers again!_

Basically put, Reborn grudgingly respected the one in front of him and feared pissing him off.

"I'm an Arcobaleno." The hitman said simply, looking unaware of his internal fear. His observant eyes however, told another story.

"And what's an Arcobaleno?"

"Seven cursed babies who wears a pacifier of a certain Flame and are the strongest in the world." He replied as easily as before. But he was watching him, warning him to becareful on where he tread. Reborn felt sweat trailed down the back of his neck.

He decided to bite the figurative bullet. "Your curse, it's what turned you into a baby, along with six others. And you said that you guys were the strongest in the world. But why and how can you curse the seven strongest?" Reborn looked at Tsunayoshi-san, who was no longer smirking, but staring at him with cryptic eyes. That scared him more than if the hitman would smirk at him, but Reborn drew his gaze onto the yellow pacifier around the seemingly young child neck and continued. "You mentioned pacifiers. You guys were cursed to protect them. That's why you always wear it even though I can't think of a reason why an adult in a baby's body would wear it. But why-?"

"You have school." Tsunayoshi-san said in clipped tones.

His brown eyes held a message. _Drop it_. Reborn took the hint and stopped, though he still wondered about his new home tutor.

"I'll be leaving now." The dark-haired boy said, taking his bag and leaving the kitchen. But not before he glanced one last time at the Arcobaleno.

Said Arcobaleno returned it with a smirk, which dropped as his new charge turned and left, shouting goodbye at his mother who was still in her room as he did so.

Sawada Taiyohoshi was smart. Too smart sometimes.

-(X)-

_**Curses**__. I can't believe curses exists._

But then, he couldn't believe that there was a magical bullet that grants you a burning (literally) determination to finish whatever you were regretting and stripped you to your underwear. Reborn played it cool in front of the brunet before, but now that he was not within sight, his temporary suspension of disbelief was vanishing.

_Curses, Dying Will bullets, magical flames. Is there anything that follows logic with that damned hitman!?_

_It's almost as if my life has been turned into a manga._

Reborn prided himself with being a man of logic. Everything follows a certain rule or principal. Now that illogical things kept happening one after another, Reborn felt he was justified to do this one simple thing: deny everything.

_Right. Denial. Simple, easy and a powerful thing._

Except the source of all these illogical things happened to stay in his house. That made denying things much harder. Reborn doubted that he could get Tsunayoshi-san to get out. The baby-no man, he corrected himself disbelievingly-was much stronger than Fon and seemed equally set in doing what he was sent to do (Reborn still couldn't believe _that_).

_I'm screwed, aren't I?_

The best he could do was to get used to this new change, adapt, so to speak. But the thing with change was that it was bittersweet. No matter how good or necessary or how much you wanted it, a part of you would always hold you back. Reborn knew intellectually that it was better to get used to change, but a part of change was to accept it. Reborn couldn't accept what Tsunayoshi-san brought, and for that, this change would be hard.

After all, Reborn could be very stubborn.

As he passed through the hallways to his class, the students around him snickered behind their hands and whispered to each other. Perhaps they either meant their words to be heard or are ignorant of the word discreet it, because Reborn's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he heard their whispers.

A girl giggled somewhere behind and on his left. "I never knew Sawada was such a pervert."

"Stripping in public, how disgusting…" Someone muttered darkly on his right as he passed.

"I heard he confessed to Luce-chan." A guy said to his friends. "In his boxers too!"

Those that heard him laugh. They jeered and gossiped as Reborn walked past, a dark aura around him. The dark-haired boy glared at anyone who made eye-contact with him, silencing them.

_I hate this school. I hate that damned home tutor. I hate all of them._

These dark thoughts circled his mind until he opened the door to his class. The students inside laughed as he entered, repeating his embarrassing moments with loud words. He glared at each and every one of them, a dark promise of revenge in his eyes. That was more than enough to shut them up.

The students shivered. Who knew that their resident geek could be so _scary_.

"Don't do that." A gentle voice, like a ray of light shining through his dark day, said. "You're scaring them."

"Maybe that's what I want to do." Reborn replied, but not as darkly as his previous mood. He placed his bag on his seat, sat down, and turned to face his friend-turned-girlfriend (it was still awkward to think of Luce that way). "Luce."

"Reborn." She replied, smiling, ignoring the murmurs in the background.

The girl took the empty seat in front of his-the student was absent, having need a cast from the hospital- but seated herself so she faced him. "So." She started. "How are you?"

"I'm alright." He shrugged, feeling a bit awkward. He looked down at his hands, which were clasped together on his desk. "So…um…"

The dark-haired boy had no idea on what to do. It was awkward, especially with the new change in their relationship, though only they, Fon and Tsunayoshi-san knew that (and most likely Colonello too, if the prefect informed him). Reborn wanted to groan as the silence between them stretched on.

_This isn't as easy as they say in mangas!_

Luce blushed too, apparently understanding what he was thinking about. However, she still smiled. "Well…um…I-I guess we can take it easy. Y-you know…just…hang around together."

A warm hand took one of his, fingers intertwining with his, and he held it. The murmurings increased in volume, disbelief prominent in their tone. But Reborn no longer paid attention to it. He looked up and saw her smiling through her blush. That was the only thing he gave his attention to.

_C-cute…._

He swallowed down his nervousness, his heart beating a mile per hour, and nodded, certain that his face was also tinged red. "S-sure…"

Her smile widened, becoming as radiant as the sun, and Reborn concluded that maybe today wouldn't be bad after all.

-(X)-

_Today is as bad as I thought._

That was what Reborn thought, as he was forced to walk to the gym. He refused to be carried and swatted the hands of anyone who tried to. So at the end, the students crowded against him, dragging him away, and he glowered darkly at them.

_I'm going to humiliate that idiotic senpai of mine._

He and Luce were having a _moment!_ Then some of said idiotic senpai club members came to his class and just _have_ to ruin the mood. They said some ridiculous things about Mochida wanting to fight him to avenge Luce's honour, which baffled said girl, but Reborn knew it was all crap to make the older boy looked heroic. What Mochida wanted was to beat him up in public for his own pride. Well, too bad for him, Reborn wouldn't let him win.

Mochida challenged him to a kendo match, as he expected. He ignored the boy who dragged him into this mess as he looked around the gym. To win a fight, one doesn't just use brawn, they also need brains. Reborn got plenty of the latter, enough to know how to use his surroundings to his advantage.

Something the other boy said stuck to him. To win he needed an ippoun, but it's not clear from _where_ he needed to get it from. Reborn could feign ignorance in that subject, though he doubted anyone would believe him with his reputation as a genius. Smirking, the dark-haired boy looked at the older boy's hair, thoughts of revenge in his mind. Talk about killing two birds with one stone, Reborn now knew how to beat the boy and humiliate him.

Then, the kendo captain said something that made his blood boil.

"Whoever wins get Sasagawa Luce!"

"W-what-!?" The girl protested, but Reborn shouted at him first, angered.

"She's _not_ a thing!" He glared at the boy in front of him, his hands clenching into fists. "You can't just decide like that!"

"And you're a cold-hearted, perverted bastard! Someone like you is not worthy of the pure and kind Luce's presence!" Mochida shot back, pointing his wooden sword at him. "Come and fight me if you complain!"

Reborn knew fully well that he's a cold-hearted bastard, how someone like Luce liked him was a mystery, but Michida was worse than him, he thought. He wouldn't let someone like him win.

"I will." He said, not confident but with an air of finality, more dangerous than if he was raging. "But not with your weapons and armour."

One of the club members that managed the armour looked at him, confused and surprised. "But you'll need this to fight."

"It won't be a fight if I wear that. Do you think I'm an idiot?" He scowled at him. "I know how heavy that armour and sword is. It wouldn't even be a fair fight."

"Though I expect nothing less from the cheating Mochida." Reborn sneered, glancing at said student.

He had the other students attention. Had it since he first shouted, he belatedly realized. Reborn smirked, a new idea blossoming in his mind. Forget about shaving Mochida's hair, he got a better plan. The idiotic senpai would be down and he wouldn't even need to lift a finger.

_As Sun Tzu said, the best victory is one you don't even need to fight to win._

"After all, didn't you cheated Hina-san with Sakai-san?" He said, almost casually save for the smirk on his lips. He heard a few students watching gasped.

_Perfect._

"Don't listen to him!" Mochida shouted futilely at the gathered mass.

_As if that'll work. Your own fault for gathering so many people together._

Reborn continued as if he was never interrupted. "That's why you smelled like her perfume and your hair was messed up after lunch last week. You also made out with Akari-san from class 3-C a few days back, no? That's why you buttoned up your collar that day, to hide the marks left from that."

The kendo captain sputtered denials, but his reactions merely fueled the fire. The gathered students murmured to each other, voices rising as they glared at Mochida. Reborn would have felt pity, but the idiot wagered Luce as if she was a thing. So he stayed quiet instead, watching the ensuing riot with a smirk.

Suddenly, a girl walked towards the idiotic senpai, fury radiating from her, and Mochida took a step back in fear.

_Hell has no fury like a woman scorned indeed._

"N-now Hina-chan…"

_SLAP!_

"You cheater!" She cried angrily. "We are _so_ over!"

And just like that, a trigger seemed to be pulled. Girls walked up towards the poor club captain, anger at their heels. Mochida had cheated on more than a dozen girls. The crowd talked amongst each other, but now about the unfortunate senpai instead of him. Forgotten and content, Reborn quietly slipped into the crowd and walked towards where Luce was.

"That was quite a spectacle." She commented, smiling at him as they started to leave the crowd.

"That asshole deserved it." Reborn replied mildly, causing her smile to widen.

"I know." She said softly, walking with him back to their class.

"Thank you."

Reborn tilted his head to face her, confused. "For what?"

Luce smiled, bright as the sun. "For defending me."

"It's not like you can't do it." He replied, cheeks slightly red at her radiant smile. He looked away. "I was just being selfish. I wanted to beat him up or something."

"Still." She touched his arm, and he stopped to turn and looked at her smile. "Thank you."

"Y-yeah…no problem." He nodded back, blushing slightly.

She continued smiling at him, not removing her hand off his arm, trapping them in the moment. Reborn didn't mind, he actually enjoyed feeling the warmth of her hand. The dark-haired boy found himself smiling warmly at her, staring into her deep blue eyes…

Neither really wanted the moment to end, but eventually, it must.

"We…um…" Reborn didn't realized it was his own voice until after her spoke, cursing himself inwardly for breaking their shared moment. "Um…class is starting…"

She blinked, and the moment that held them was gone. Blushing, Luce looked as if she just realized that her hand was still on his arm and removed it. The dark-haired boy saw her red cheeks and was sure his was red too.

"Right. We-um…" She toyed with a lock of hair, twirling it with a finger, her smile shy and cheeks red. "Class?"

"Right. Class." Reborn repeated, nodding and looking away.

The duo walked back to their class together, a bit awkward of one another due to the moment they had before. Still, a smile managed to worm its way to Reborn's lips as he thought.

_I guess…today wasn't so bad after all._

-(X)-

_Sawada Taiyohoshi. Male. Age: 13, soon to be 14. A student of Namimori Middle School. Nickname: Reborn._

Tsunayoshi looked at his bored student from his perch on a tree branch. Taiyohoshi didn't even notice him, a lesson that he would later need to learn. But later, Tsunayoshi decided as he watched the dark-haired boy, remembering the file the Ninth gave him about the boy.

_A genius with an IQ of 183. Top of the class. A grade A+ student since kindergarden. Frequents a hacker forum and occasionally hacks into various security companies due to boredom. Had hacked into the MMORPG Pokemon Online for the maximum number of items, medicine, berries and TMs. Knows he is smart and not afraid to show it._

That is the price of being a genius. The hitman saw how his student wasn't able to connect with anyone outside of his group well. He saw how the boy remained aloof and cold in front of others, a sharp word on the tip of his tongue. That trait must be hammered out as it could drive potential Family members away.

However, being smart has its uses too. Tsunayoshi saw how he steered the events in the gym, using what he knew to his advantage and winning a fight even though he didn't raise a hand. Useful, but that attitude needs to be fixed.

_Does not have many friends, but the few he has are treasured dearly, though he may not show it well. They are Hibari Fon, Sasagawa Luce and Yamamoto Colonello._

They were perfect candidates for Guardianship. Each of them was either the ace or leader of a club or committee. All of them respected and cared for each other like family already, though right now they were too busy with club activities and such. No matter, that could be dealt with. Eventually they will come to Reborn when he needed them, as he is the sky that bound them together, though he doesn't know it yet.

That's three Guardians out of six, with another potential member coming soon. So in total, that was four, which was quick for gathering the Guardians. The brunet thought it would be harder to find Guardians in a quiet town like Namimori, but it seemed that he was wrong. Not that he minded, it made his job easier.

_Is noted to be clumsy on occasions, generally when he concentrates on one thing, and is physically weak. Makes up for it with his intelligence and perceptiveness._

Ah, that perceptiveness, Tsunayoshi had a taste of it that morning and didn't like how his student managed to gathered quite a bit of his past easily. That, along with the clumsiness, was signs of his dormant Hyper Intuition. The brunet wondered what would happen if Taiyohoshi's intelligence would be combined with the Vongola's bloodline ability. If a hint of the Hyper Intuition was enough for the dark-haired boy to learn about his curse with a glance, then what would happen if he received the full force of it…?

That was a question for later. While Tsunayoshi was interested in his student's ability, he was also slightly annoyed. The incident this morning threw him off a bit, which irked him slightly. _He _was the one who was supposed to knock the other off balance, not the other way around. He would do better next time.

_Has a slight interest in guns and is an otaku. Enjoys cosplaying and goes by the name of Noel in conventions that holds them. Tried to learn martial arts from Hibari Fon once, but later quit._

Every mafioso needed a weapon, a gun could be as well as a pair of gloves or forks in that matter. Though Taiyohoshi would need to learn how to wield one and handle the recoil. Teaching the dark-haired boy about disguises would be easy, Tsunayoshi thought, since he was already a semi-pro cosplayer. The brunet knew this due to Haru, who also loved to cosplay, telling him of her trips to various conventions and once mentioned a cosplayer that was slowly getting well known named Noel. To think that would be his own student, it would be interesting to see them meet.

As for the last bit, the diminutive hitman would _convince_ his student to start training with Fon again _or else_.

_Does not have any experience with the mafia prior to my assignment here. It's necessary to make him aware of his position as heir._

_Hmm…place him under various situations, perhaps with the Dying Will bullets when he refuses to._

_Also, get people with relations to the Family meet him and form bonds with him, making him accept his position. _

_Perhaps I should get my perverted student here._

There were many things he has to do if Taiyohoshi was to become the Vongola Decimo, but one thing at a time. Tsunayoshi has time to train him before the rest of the underworld catches on to the new heir and try to kill him. He would use that time wisely. Hewas _the_ best, after all.

The home tutor prompted Natsu to shift into a cellphone and dialed a number.

"_Hello?"_

"Ciao, my perverted student."

"_Tsuna?"_

-(X)-

Shamal Cavallone listened to his former tutor as he stretched on the lounge chair by a pool. Beautiful women in provocative swimsuits played in the pool, a feast to his eyes. He nodded at whatever the Sun Arcobaleno said, sipping on the juice a woman in a hot French maid costume served him.

By the way, Shamal didn't pick their uniforms. All their sexy clothes were purely by their choice, much to the Don's delight.

"Alright, Tsuna." The Cavallone boss said, nodding. "I'll be there."

"_Brush up on your Japanese. If I hear a single mispronunciation, I'll burn you."_

Shuddering slightly at the threat, because Shamal knew that the brunet wasn't joking. The hitman had done it before, nearly burning him with all those fireballs he threw when he was still a student. For a baby, Tsuna was _scary_.

"_Hai_, Tsuna." He replied, using a bit of the Japanese he learnt.

"_Good. Call me when you arrive."_

"Alright." He agreed readily enough. "I'll see you soon then."

"_I expect so."_

And with that as a farewell, the hitman closed his end. Shamal closed his cellphone and sat back, contemplating. This would be interesting, he decided, to know Tsuna's new student. Looking up from his relaxed position on the lounge chair, he grinned as he saw his right hand woman, Juliet, approached him with fury on her heels.

_Beautiful as ever._

"Boss, what are you doing here!?" She shouted, face red from anger and exasperation. The flat-chested woman placed a stack of paperwork on the table beside him with a thump. Shamal frowned at that. Paperwork was the bane of his existence, or any bosses' really. "You're supposed to be finishing these!"

"And nice night to you too, sweetheart." The Cavallone Don replied flirtingly with a charming smile that failed to impress the woman before him. "You look beautiful tonight in that suit."

Juliet was different from her fellow female Family members in that she preferred to wear a standard black suit rather than the usual sexy clothes her fellow subordinates wore. She was a brunet with short, tomboyish hair and a flat chest, a rare sight to see in this Family filled with hot women. She was short too, and that combined with her chest size brought about no end of grief for her.

However, she was highly respected by the other women in the Family. Her fiery passion and sharp tongue, along with her no-nonsense attitude helped balance her boss womanizing ways, not that Shamal was ever disrespectful of his subordinates. Still, she was highly respected for being the one with the troublesome task of dragging the Don away from whatever distraction held him and making him finish his paperwork with a gun aimed at his head.

Her cheeks burned brighter at his words. The woman narrowed her eyes and brought her gun out. "This is _not_ the time to be flirting, Boss!"

"But you're fun to tease." Shamal chuckled, but kept a wary eye on her gun. He knew Juliet wouldn't hesitate to shoot him.

And he was right. As Shamal saw her point her gun, the Don quickly raised his hands. "Wait! Before you shoot, let me tell you that there's a change in plans!"

"Oh?" she questioned, her gun still trained on him.

"I got a call from Tsuna." The Cavallone Don explained quickly. "He asked us to head to Japan."

His right hand hummed thoughtfully, contemplating, before she put her gun away. He knew that Juliet was rather fond of the Arcobaleno, Tsuna was the one who taught her that it was alright to shoot her boss. Shamal breathed a sigh of relief as the woman tucked the gun inside her suit, before she crossed her arms. "What's the occasion, Boss?"

Shamal grinned. "We're going to visit my little brother."

-(X)-

_The mafia boss…a leader who rules a criminal organization._

_Able to move a number of trusted members in one hand. Willing to risk even his life for the Family._

_Surrounded by the respect and admiration of all. Seen as a hero by the children of the slums…_

"What the hell am I reading!?" Reborn exclaimed, then quickly moved to dodge the incoming fireballs from his home tutor.

_I don't even want to know how he does that. It defies so many laws of physics it's not even funny._

However, as Tsunayoshi-san easily extinguished the yellow flames coating his hand, Reborn couldn't help but be curious. However, he was not suicidal enough to ask the Sun Arcobaleno.

Currently, they were in Reborn's room. The morning sun casted its rays through the window and into his room. Reborn had woken up early to see the hitman with a large orange hammer in his hand, looking as if he was ready to smack his student awake with it. He probably was, the dark-haired boy was thankful to be an early riser. He wouldn't want to wake up with a bruise. Now, Reborn sat cross-legged on the floor, the pyrokinetic baby sitting near him while tossing a yellow ball of fire up and down.

"From now on you'll be reading that every morning." The hitman said, ignoring Reborn's protests. Tsunayoshi-san brandished a pair of metal gloves and struck a pose that should be too badass to come from a baby.

_Then again, he's not a real baby._

"I'm going to train you to be the next Vongola Decimo." He stated, much to Reborn's dismay. "You'll be the finest, someone worthy of the most powerful Family in the world."

"_I don't want to be a mafia boss!"_

Reborn got a faceful of fireballs for that.

-(X)-

Sasagawa Luce was a morning person. She rose with the sun and always jogged around the neighbourhood in the morning. It was to stay physically fit and not overweight, as she loved to bake and eat pastries. She normally jogged alone, as no one would be awake this early. Which was why, when she returned home, she was pleasantly surprised to see who was at her front door.

"Reborn!" She smiled, waving at him. "What are you doing here?"

The boy glared at the baby that sat atop of the short wall that surrounded the house. "_He _dragged me here."

"The future Don must learn how to treat a lady properly." The small hitman replied. "And Reborn will join you on your morning jogs from now on."

"I-!" Reborn started, but he was cut off when Luce turned to looked at him hopefully.

"Really!?" The club captain asked, enthusiastic. She really wanted Reborn to join her so she could spend more time with him.

"I-er-yeah…sure." He replied hesitatingly. Luce was so happy she missed him unsure tone and the venomous glare he sent his tutor's way.

"That's great!" She exclaimed, very happy with getting a jogging partner. She opened the front door and gestured them in. "Come on in, I need to change first."

Reborn nodded and walked in. Tsuna-san jumped on his spiky black hair as he entered and sat there, much to Reborn's chagrin. Luce smiled at that and closed the door behind them.

"Make yourselves at home." She said, walking towards her room. She glanced back over her shoulder to look at the dark-haired boy. "Reborn, you know where the kitchen is. Can you two wait there?"

"Sure." He replied, walking there.

Luce entered her room. The walls were a soft yellow and posters of various pastries were hung alongside frames that held the pictures of her, her little sister and father. Her mother held no place in those pictures. On one side, a shelf filled with shoujo mangas and cooking books stood. On another side, a simple white desk was set with various writing utensils on it. Her bow and quiver leaned against one side of her desk. Her bed, its comforters bright yellow and sky blue, was in the middle and against a wall.

She walked over to the closet that stood next to her shelf. Quickly, she changed to her uniform and grabbed her bag that was on her bed. She took her bow and quiver too, she has club practice afterschool. She glanced around the room, trying to remember if she forgot something or not.

Eventually, she decided that she hasn't and left the room, closing the door behind her. Luce walked towards the kitchen, where she heard her little sister's light voice and Reborn's words. A smile touched her lips as she walked in and looked at the situation inside.

"…And bring Onee-chan home before 9, because that's the time for dinner and I'm not allowed to cook on my own yet." Aria said, not noticing the other boy's blush. The little girl looked too serious-to the point that it's comical- for her young age. "Take good care of Onee-chan, ok Re-nii? If you don't, I won't forgive you."

Luce chuckled, letting them know she was here. "Don't worry, Aria. I can handle myself."

"Onee-chan!" Her little sister greeted, hugging her by the waist. "I was just talking to Re-nii. He's your boyfriend now, right?"

The older sibling blushed at her blunt words. She glanced at Reborn and saw him blushing too. Looking down at her little sister, Luce replied, slightly awkward. "T-that's right…"

It had only been two days since Reborn confessed, since their relationship changed. Luce still couldn't believe it. It was too fast, too sudden, but it happened. He liked her, she like him back. Now that one of them confessed, however unconventional the method was, it only made sense to move their relationship to the next level, right? The thing was, Luce has no idea on what to do with their new relationship.

Their relationship had changed, but why does it feel that it hadn't?

"We should go now." Reborn said, looking at her. His cheeks were still slightly red from Aria's words. "If you're ready that is."

She smiled and nodded. "I am. Aria, go get your bag."

The younger sibling nodded, smiling, and left the kitchen. Now there were only Luce, Reborn and Tsuna-san inside the kitchen.

An awkward silence descended upon them.

"So…" Reborn tried to break the silence, his eyes flicking everywhere for a subject. He eventually settled on her bow. "You have club activities today?"

"Yes." She replied, taking a seat that faced him.

Reborn hummed in return, his finger tapping the table.

The awkwardness returned.

Luce amended her previous thought. When they didn't remember their relationship change, it felt like nothing had changed. However, when they _did_ remember, this kind of awkwardness occurs.

They know what the other likes, what they hated. They know practically everything about one another, having grown up together.

How does one do romantic, when they had practically done everything together?

More than that though…they loved each other as family first, but when their feelings grown into this crush, this strong infatuation…

How does one learn to fall in love again, but this time in the romantic sense?

_How do you date your best friend?_

The answer came from a certain diminutive brunet hitman.

"How annoying."

Both jumped slightly at Tsuna-san's voice. They had nearly forgotten about the hitman's presence. A dangerous thing to do, Luce reflected.

Tsuna-san's lion cub, Natsu, as he told them on that faithful day, turned into a gun. Luce was amazed at that transformation, but it was cut short when the brunet pointed said shapeshifted gun onto Reborn.

"Just ask her out." The baby said, his voice not letting even a hint of his annoyance show.

"Wha-!?" Reborn ducked under the table as a few rounds of bullets flew past his head. Luce gasped, becoming worried for him.

_What if those hit!?_

"Alright, alright!" The teen exclaimed, looking at the baby warily. "_Luce, do you want to go out with me?"_

"Yes!" She replied quickly, not even registering the implications she had just said.

Luce was sure this was the wrong situation to ask someone out. Your boyfriend shouldn't need to ask you out because of a threat of gunfire. They shouldn't _have_ to. But then Reborn peeked from under the table at her, cheeks stained red and a large warm smile, which should be out of place in this situation, and made her heart skip a beat.

"T-that's great!" He said, smiling widely, if a bit shyly. "Oh, umm…how about this Sunday?"

"Sure." She replied, blushing suddenly and fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"What do you want to do?" He asked her, slowly inching back to his previous seat.

"Anything's fine." She replied reassuringly, even though she was nervous at the idea of a date.

"Then I'll pick you up at 12 in the afternoon?" He asked, looking a bit unsure. "To, you know, just hang around? Ah, I know that doesn't sound romantic. Um…nighttime's more romantic, I think, but-um-I-er…"

Luce couldn't help but giggle at Reborn's flustered words. Normally the dark-haired boy was calm and collected, seeing him so flustered was a new sight. A rather cute and funny sight, if Luce would say.

"12 sounds great, Reborn." She said, smiling reassuringly. "Besides, hanging out sounds fun and um..a-a big date, the nighttime thing…y-yeah, we can d-do that _later_. I mean, we just started and all-so yeah…"

She was sure her face was red. Reborn's was too as he nodded. "Yeah, ok."

Forgotten again by both of them, Tsunayoshi sighed, a small, very faint smile on his lips. _Ah, young love._

"Onee-chan, Re-nii, let's go!" Aria shouted cheerily, suddenly entering the kitchen. She stopped when she took in the scene she stumbled into. "Oh, am I interrupting something?"

"No!" Both teens denied, faces red.

The little girl just giggled, walking away. "It's alright Onee-chan. Go back to your moment. I'll be waiting at the front porch."

"Aria!" Luce exclaimed as her little sister walked away, cheeks burning. She turned to looked at Reborn. "I'm sorry, Reborn. I don't know what has gotten into her."

"It's alright, Luce." Reborn replied, smiling a bit. "Anyway, we should go now or we're going to be late."

"Yeah." She agreed, nodding, picking up her bag, bow and quiver. She looked back at Reborn as she walked ahead. "So, Sunday?"

He nodded, blushing a bit. "Yeah…"

She grinned, looking forward to it, even as her heart beats faster. "It's a date then!"

_It's going to be my first date!_

She turned away as Reborn's expression turned flustered once again, walking towards the front porch. The thought of the promised date on Sunday sent butterflies flying in her stomach even as nervousness wrecked her mind. A wide smile was on her lips as she walked outside of the house, to Aria. Her little sister looked at her thoughtfully, but thankfully didn't ask her anything, settling on smiling knowingly. As Reborn walked out, she closed the door behind him, tucking the key into her bag.

Before they left, she checked the mailbox, looking thoughtful as she found a think envelope in it.

"Oh?" Luce took the envelope, her eyes widening as she opened it. "Ah, Dad must have sent this!"

"Another one?" Reborn questioned as he peered over her shoulder. Aria ran over to her, interested.

"Yes, another one." She confirmed, looking at the contents of the mail. Inside of it were a letter and a thick wad of money, enough to last her and her sister until the next mail arrives. Luce didn't know what her father's job was, but it must be quite important and difficult for him to be able to send this much money in a bi-weekly basis but leave them for long periods of time.

Unlike their mother however, Luce knew that he loved them and left to support them.

"What did Papa said?" Aria asked her, curious. The older girl knew that she missed him too.

Luce smiled indulgently at her and opened the letter. She was curious too. The archer missed her father and wanted to know how he was doing, if he was alright and if he could go home for awhile. It must have been a year since she last saw him on her birthday. She wished that he could go home more often, but she knew that his job was important. Even Aria, though young, knew this too. They understood their father's work, so they didn't hate him like Reborn did to his father. It also helps that their father would try his best to be there for them through his letters and when he was home, he would be a kind and responsible father. Compared to Reborn and his father, Luce knew that they were lucky.

"Dad says he's alright, but incredibly busy." She frowned. "Apparently a rival company had just named an heir and that threw his business sector into chaos."

"Why?" Reborn asked. Unnoticed by any of them, Tsunayoshi's eyes glinted in interest.

"He doesn't say." Luce replied. "And that's not all. Recently, someone's been going around and ripping off a lot of companies off their money. He thinks that his company is on his or her list too. So with all the business with the new heir and the rip off, he says that he probably couldn't come home any time soon."

"Oh…" Aria said, looking dejected. "Is that all, Onee-chan?"

Luce smiled at her, attempting to cheer her up. "Of course not, Aria! Dad also says that he recently went to Rome. He got some pictures too, but it's not printed yet, so we'll get it with his next letter. Dad also got this recipe for a _delicious_ pizza written here. I'll try it out tonight. Maybe I'll even tell Colonello so he can add it to his mom's pizza restaurant. Dad also found some cute dresses for you, Aria. He can't send it with this letter, so he'll send it along with his next."

"What about you, Onee-chan?" The little girl asked, a bit cheered from the news.

"He found a nice cooking book for me. He also found some cakes he thinks I'll like, but can't send it because he's afraid that it'll spoil before it gets here." Luce answered, also pleased and happy. "So he got me some clothes, but he doesn't know whether it'll fit me or not. He's going to send them all with his next letter."

"Is there anything else?" Aria asked. She was happy, Luce knew, but she was also waiting for that one sentence at the end of the letter that, at the end of the day, meant the most for both of them.

Luce smiled warmly at her. "Dad says he loves us."

Aria grinned widely, throwing her arms around Luce waist. The older girl was used to this and merely grinned along as she pet her little sister's head, returning the hug. That one bit at the end of the letter was the most important to them, more so than any clothes or books that their father could promise.

Eventually, Aria released her from her hug. Luce tucked the letter carefully, along with the money, in her bag. It wouldn't do to get it stolen. When that was done, the older girl turned and smiled at the dark-haired boy.

"That's great for you." Reborn said, as they walked down the road to Aria's school. Something in his voice made her smile falter.

_How can I be so careless?_

"Reborn…"Luce started. How could she forget? Reborn doesn't have the best relationship with his father, to say the least. He was always too busy to visit his family, like her father. However, at least her father sent her and her sister letters and the occasional gifts, staying in touch with them on a bi-weekly basis. Reborn only got the silly postcards from his father and that was rarely, if ever.

"I know what you're going to say, Luce." The dark-haired boy cut her off. "I'm not mad at you. I'm happy for you, really. Your father have the time to write and send you and your sister letters and gifts. Of course you're going to be happy to know he cares."

"I'm fine, Luce." Reborn said, managing a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it."

That helped assuaged her guilt a little, but Luce still cursed herself for being thoughtless.

They dropped her little sister by the front gates of Namimori Elementary. Aria grinned and waved at her best friend, Kurokawa Gamma. The blond waved back, grinning. Luce smiled at that as she and Reborn bid her sister goodbye.

"They're cute together." Luce said, seeing the two best friends running into the building.

"They're kids." Reborn replied, deadpanned, raising an eyebrow in bemusement.

"So?" She grinned at him, walking off to their school. "Cute is cute. I won't mind seeing them together."

He gave her a bemused look, shrugging. "Alright then."

They walked off towards their school together in silence. Luce didn't mind, this easy, companionable silence was _much_ better than the awkward situations they recently seemed to be in often. Slowly, her previous feeling of guilt gave way to cheeriness. Today's going to be a good day, she felt.

So absorbed was she on her positive thoughts that she didn't notice on the incoming runner. She would have crashed, if Reborn hadn't grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the way. The dark blue-haired girl blinked, still holding on to his hand and arm.

"Becareful, Luce." Reborn reproached her gently.

"Ah, right…" She blushed in embarrassment she should have noticed the runner.

Her friend-turned-boyfriend (Luce still struggled to grasp the idea) looked faintly amused. "Let's just go. I don't want us to be late."

She nodded her agreement, blushing faintly. They began walking again, side by side, and without realizing it, holding hands.

-(X)-

When they reached the school gates, the students stared and whispered as they walked past them. Luce frowned slightly, confused. Unconsciously, she stood closer to Reborn. Why were they staring? Even Fon, who was patrolling the school grounds, smiled at them as they walked past him.

"I'm glad you took my advice." He said then, smiling in a peculiar way that sent questions to Luce's mind.

_What was that about?_

Reborn looked confused too. The club captain was glad that she wasn't the only one. However, their confusion was cleared by an unlikely source.

"Ciao, lovebirds." Tsuna-san said, suddenly appearing from inside a secret hideout. Both of them jumped at that, startled.

"When did you get here!?" Reborn asked, surprised, glaring at the baby. "And when did _that_ get here?"

Luce had to agree with his questions. She was sure that the fire hydrant wasn't a hideout before, and certainly not one decorated luxuriously. How could Tsuna-san did that when he just arrived two days ago?

Reborn got a kick on the head for questioning, sending him sprawling on the floor. Luce toppled over him, being pulled downwards. She ended up laying over a groaning Reborn. It was then that they both noticed their intertwined hands.

Both of them blushed brightly.

Luce sat up quickly, then blushed brighter when she realized her position. She was practically _sitting_ on Reborn's lap. The dark-haired boy also noticed, after the initial disorientation from Tsuna-san's kick wore off, and tried to sit up. This led to a rather…awkward situation between them.

Unnoticed by both of them, the diminutive hitman smirked.

_This is __**way**__ too fast!_

That was Luce's thought as she quickly scrambled off of Reborn's lap, swiftly standing up. Reborn did the same, his cheeks as red as hers. Neither looked at each other, suddenly finding trivial things interesting.

Reborn's home tutor's lips quirked downwards slightly, hiding his annoyance. Tsuna-san threw a fireball at his student, who yelped and jerked back. Reborn glared at the infant, the hem of his sleeve slightly burnt. Luce felt slightly bad for feeling relieved that Tsuna-san broke the awkward atmosphere, he could have been _burned_.

"Tch, for a genius, you're quite the _baka_." The home tutor said dryly, causing Reborn to splutter out protests. "That's it. That'll be your nickname from now on, Baka-Taiyohoshi."

"You can't just-!" Reborn started indignantly, but was quickly cut off when Tsuna-san pointed an orange gun at him again. The dark-haired boy settled on glowering and glaring darkly at the diminutive hitman.

Luce felt slightly bad for feeling it, but she found Reborn's new nickname to be funny. In any other situation, she would have laughed.

Considering that a real _hitman_ was pointing a _gun_ without the reserves to shoot sobered the humour though.

"You should go to class now." There was a click, the safety was turned off. "Baka-Taiyohoshi."

Reborn glared at him one last time, silent and annoyed, before turning to leave. Luce turned to follow him, but the hitman stopped her.

"Luce, I need to talk to you." The small hitman said. Luce froze in her steps and turned to face him. "Alone."

Immediately, Reborn stopped. He threw a worried look at Luce and a hateful glare at Tsuna-san. "Luce…"

"It's alright, Reborn." She managed to give him a reassuring smile despite her own fears. "It's just a talk."

"Luce…"He started, but she cut him off by giving him a smile, saying that it was just a talk and she would probably be a little late for class. That's all that was going to happen.

It took a while, but Reborn finally agreed to leave them alone. He reluctantly left them, a frown on his lips. Now, Luce stood alone in the empty hallway with the hitman. She quietly took a deep breath to calm her nerves, the hitman made her nervous. Luce could hear the muted chatter of the other students, could see other teenagers walking into the building if she glanced outside the window. They were all oblivious to the fact that a killer was inside their building.

At that thought, a shiver went down her spine.

"He's quite stubborn, isn't he?" Tsuna-san broke the silence first. Luce eyed him warily. "And loyal. Not a bad trait for a future mafia boss."

The club captain frowned. "Reborn doesn't want to be a mafia boss."

Luce knew Reborn, even after he had become distant. She knew that the coffee-loving genius doesn't want to be a leader.

Tsuna-san's beady brown eyes pierced into hers. Luce wanted to fidget under that stare, but didn't. This felt important somehow, even though she didn't know why. She couldn't screw this up. Despite her doubts and trepidations, Luce stared right back at him.

It felt like an eternity for Luce, but in actuality, it was only a minute or so. There was an invisible pressure in the air, nearly crushing her with its heavy presence. She shivered slightly, was it her imagination or did the temperature dropped slightly? She felt afraid, nearly crushed as she stared into Tsuna-san's eyes. Luce couldn't breathe.

Then suddenly, the hitman blinked once and the crushing presence disappeared. The girl sank bonelessly to the ground, her whole body trembling minutely. She gasped for air, having unknowingly held her breath before, and crossed her arms, trembling hands clenching her upper arms. Her eyes were wide in shock and fear.

_What was __**that**__?_

The infant-no, _hitman_- in front of her smirked, looking satisfied at something. Unconsciously, Luce scooted farther away from him.

"And he has equally loyal and stubborn subordinates." The diminutive killer said, nodding approvingly once. He turned to leave, but before he did, he said. "Welcome to the Family, Sasagawa Luce."

He glanced at the terrified girl behind him, his cool and cryptic brown eyes locking on to her scared blue eyes. His eyes softened a bit at her scared expression, but the trembling girl didn't notice it.

"I am here to train Sawada Taiyohoshi to become the next Vongola Don." He said, his words meant to comfort the scared girl, not that Luce registered it. "I will not kill him…permanently."

The mention of Reborn snapped her out of her terrified state slightly. Now she was worried. Reborn was going to _live_ with a _killer?_

"I-I'll hold you to that." She cursed her stammer even as she sent a steely stare at the hitman. Her body still trembled and shook, but she remained firm. "I won't forgive you if you break that promise!"

The diminutive hitman smiled faintly at that, pleased. "Of course."

He left then, but Luce still wasn't entirely comforted, despite his words and promise. She remained where she was for several more minutes and only moved when her trembling stopped. The fear for herself was gone, replaced by her fear and worries for Reborn.

Luce stood, letting out a slow sigh as she tried to calm herself down. The bell rang, but she didn't notice it as she anxiously ran a hand through her hair. She slumped, leaning against a wall as she tried to regain the feeling in her legs.

_What have you gotten yourself into __**now**__, Reborn?_

In the end, she was much later to class than she thought.

-(X)-

And here's chapter 3! Sorry to make you guys wait for so long!

Well, I hope you guys like this. Next chapter would feature Skull and a light break from the romance of RLuc, I promise! However, it may take long, I'm still recovering from the news that Katekyo Hitman Reborn is ending *sobs*

I really like the line where Tsuna thought this about Reborn: _"He appeared before me all of a sudden. An angel without wings…Well, maybe that's praising him too much."_

Aside from the AWWW that ensued as I read that line, I also like the shout out to the first line of the first opening, Drawing Days:

_An angel without wings said to me_

"_I lost my map for returning home"_

If you combined that with what Tsuna thought and added the ending to the Curse of the Rainbow arc and how Reborn chose to stay with Tsuna at the end, it's really heartwarming. I got the feeling that Reborn found his way 'home' at the end and Tsuna helped in that. It's just _AWWW!_

Hiks, I'm still sad that it ended, but I hear that Amano Akira is going to make a new manga. I hope it'll be a sequel to KHR or maybe a prequel. I just want the story to continue somehow.

Well, that's it for now. Did any of you guys get the foreshadowing I planted in the chapter? Please review! I don't care if you insult me or flame me or critic me or praise me, I want to hear your thoughts!

Thank you for reading!

The Storyteller of Dreams


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